Diapers and incontinence guards for incontinent adults usually have a garment portion holding an absorbent body in place against the user's body and attachment means which hold the garment portion in place also when the user is moving. A common type of attachment means are adhesive tapes or hook and loop fasteners of the touch-and-close type which directly attach the front and rear portions of the absorbent article to each other. It is further known, through, e.g., EP-A-0 287 388, EP-A-0 409 307, EP-A-0 528 282, EP-A-0 605 012 and FR-A-2 586 558, to attach the front and rear portions of the article by means of a belt, at which the possibilities to adjust the fit are improved. The belt further provides a simplified change of diaper or incontinence guard, especially when the patient is standing up.
On a common type of belt diaper the belt portions are first attached around the waist of the patient and then the front portion of the diaper is attached to the outside of the belt using hook and loop fasteners or tape tabs, being arranged on the belt and/or the front portion. One problem is that the belt folds itself longitudinally upon usage, which leads to discomfort for the wearer.
WO 99/21522 describes a belt whose cross-section varies in stiffness. This leads to an increased comfort for the wearer. The belt adapts itself to some extent after the wearer since it is more flexible at the edges. However, the elements are longitudinally arranged in the belt which might lead to sagging of the belt anyhow.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a diaper or incontinence guard having a comfortable belt which fits persons having different sizes.